There was much excitement surrounding the announcement of the venues the truck will be visiting that was published by Coca-Cola on Tuesday morning on its official website.

But no venues in Northamptonshire were on the list, much to the disappointment of people across the county and beyond who visit to see the iconic red illuminated truck each year.

We asked Coca-Cola why the truck would not be coming to Northamptonshire this year and a company spokesman explained a change of approach.

“We try to cover as much of the country as we can but unfortunately we can’t visit every town and city,” a Coca-Cola spokesman told this newspaper.

“We update the route every year, making sure we visit locations which are easily accessible from the surrounding areas. This year we are spending longer in each location, allowing those in nearby areas more time to travel to their nearest truck.”

The nearest venues for people from Northamptonshire to visit are Peterborough, Watford and Birmingham.

Full list of venues and dates for the visit of the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas Truck: